Editorial: Michigan should look to cut spending on corrections before closing prisons

Jackson has seen firsthand how Michigan government has tried — and largely failed — to limit the dollars it spends to keep dangerous people behind bars. The state closed the Southern Michigan Correctional Facility in 2007. Today, prisons are just the third-largest employer in this onetime “prison city,” according to the Enterprise Group.

Still, despite a trend toward fewer prisons, taxpayer spending on corrections stands as one of the top priorities as Rick Snyder prepares to become governor. Prison spending (roughly $2 billion this year) is a drag on state government, with Michigan spending more per inmate than surrounding states.

The easy remedy for Snyder and new lawmakers would be to close a prison (or more) immediately.

It would be the wrong one, too.

After a decade of little action, Michigan’s elected leaders have many options to save money within the prison system. Independent groups like the Center for Michigan, the Council of State Governments and Business Leaders for Michigan have been making recommendations for the last few years. The challenge is not to come up with ideas, but to act on them.

Better yet, the first steps to savings do not have to involve setting inmates free. Here are a few ideas:

• Spend less to feed inmates: Michigan spent $4.68 a day on food for prisoners in 2008, according to the Business Leaders group. Florida spent $2.65, using private contractors.

• Look at the cost of prisoner health care: The Center for Michigan notes that the cost of caring for inmates’ health soared by 40 percent from 2003 to 2008.

• Cut administration: In our interviews before this year’s elections, candidates for state office largely repeated the claim that prison guards have sacrificed but administrators have not. There is at least the perception that management has not been cut along with the rank and file.

The opportunities to pinch pennies run far deeper, although they become more contentious as the savings pile up.

Various observers suggest that Michigan puts more people in prison per capita than other Great Lakes states, and that they stay behind bars longer. Prosecutors and police, though, worry that the public’s safety already has been threatened by early releases.

Judges should not have to consult with accountants before they decide whether they lock away criminals, but the state budget will have to affect prison policy in the coming years. At a minimum, taxpayers and the officials who oversee the state corrections department should expect that closing prisons results in an actual reduction in spending. That has not been the case in recent years.

Closing prisons, however, should not be where Snyder and lawmakers begin. They can cut tens of millions of dollars from the prison budget without affecting what happens behind prison walls or the safety of the population outside them.

Michigan should run its prisons more efficiently before it looks to put any out of commission.